Thill-coupling.



- PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

D. W. COPELAND.

THILL COUPLING.

rum-r101: mm) JAN. 2a, 1906.

UNITED STATES DAVID W. COPELAND, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

THILL-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1 907.

Application filed January 23, 1906. Serial No- 297,412.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Dawn W. COPELAND, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Thill- Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the production of a thill-coupling which is particularly simple in construction and highly eflicient in use; and to this end, it consists in the novel combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my thill-coupling, and contiguous parts. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof, partly in elevation, the location of movable parts, when in inoperative position, being illustrated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a section, partly in elevation, on line A-1\, Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the separable sections of the bushing.

1 and 2 are, respectively, an axle and a thill of any suitable form, size and construction.

3 is a draft-eye having a fixed section 4 and a movable section 5, the section 4 being rigidly secured to the lower face of the axle 1 and extending forwardly therefrom, and the section 5 being pivoted at its front end to the forward extremity of the section 4 and extending rearwardly contiguous to the upper face of said section 4. The opposing faces 6, 7 of said sections 4, 5 are recessed to form a substantially spherical bearing 8 in which is journaled a coupling-pin 9 having its sides substantially parallel to its axis, said pin being here shown as cylindrical in form. This coupling-pin 9 extends beyond opposite sides of the draft-eye 3 and is supported between the free ends of rearwardly projecting arms 10 on the thill 2. Located within the spherical bearing 8 is a solid substantially spherical bushing having an axial opening conforming to the coupling-pin 9. Said bushing is preferably composed of inner and outer separable sections 1], 12, the inner section 11 being preferably in the form of a cylindrical sleeve surrounding the couplingpin 9, and the outer section 12 being provided with a central opening 13 for receiving the inner section 11, and with a substantially spherical surface 14 for engaging the surface of the bearing 8.

The bushing and the spherical bearing form a balland-socket joint between the thill and the thill-coupling, and when the draft-eye sections 4, 5 are clamped together the bushing sections 11, 1.2 are prevented from movement relatively to the draft-eye, thus the entire wear caused by the movement of the thill relatively to said draft-eye, is upon the sleeve 11, which is readily detached when worn. The bushing sections ll, 12 are provided, respectively, with lengthwise slits 15, 16 for permitting attachment and removal thereof,

and are also formed of any suitable resilient material, the section 11 being preferably of leather, and the section 12 of rubber. By constructing the outer section 12 of rubber, the jarring of the thill by the irregular movement of the axle is reduced to a minimum.

17 is a U-shaped spring lever arranged beneath the axle 1 and provided at one end with a depressed or concave bearing surface 18 which coacts with a fulcrum comprising a roller 19 carried by the fixed section 4 of the draft-eye 3. The other end of said lever is pivoted to the lower cross-piece 20 of a vertically disposed loop-shaped link 21 encircling the sections 4, 5 of the draft-eye, the upper cross-piece 22 thereof being detachably connected to the rear or free end of said section 5. When it is desired to release the section 5 from its operative position, the lever 17 is moved about the fulcrum or roller 19, thus raising the link 21 and disconnecting it from the section 5-and disengaging the depressed bearing surface 18 from said roller 19, whereupon the section 5 may be rocked on its pivot relatively to the section 4 to release the couplingpin 9.

The construction and operation of my invention will now be readily understood upon reference to the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing.

What I claim is 1. A thill-coupling comprising a draft-eye having a fixed section and a movable section, :1 U-shaped spring lever having a depressed bearing surface at one end, a rounding fulcrum carried by the fixed section and engaging the depressed surface of the lever, and a connection between the movable section and the other end of the lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A thill-coupling comprising a draft-eye having afixed section and a movable section, a U-shaped spring lever having a depressed bearing surface at one end, a fulcrum comprising a roller carried by the fixed section and engaging the depressed surface of the lever, and a connection between the movable section and the other end of the lever, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A thill-coupling comprising a drafteye having a fixed section and a pivoted section, a Ushaped spring lever having a depressed bearing surface at one end, a rounding fulcrum carried by the fixed section and engaging the depressed surface of the lever, and a link detachably connected to the free end of the pivoted section, and pivotally connected to the other end of the lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with a thill provided with a couplingpin; of a thill-coupling comprising a draft-eye having a fixed section and a movable section, the opposing faces of said sections being recessed to form a substantially spherical bearing, a bushing composed of separable sections surrounding the coupling-pin, the outer section being provided with a substantially spherical surface for engaging the surface of said bearing, and means for clamping the sections together, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In combination with a thill provided with a cylin-' drical couplingpin; of a thill-coupling comprising a drafteye having a fixed section and a movable section, the opposing faces of said sections being recessed to form a bearing, a bushing composed of separable sections, one section comprising; a sleeve surrounding the coupling-pin, and the other section surrounding the sleeve, and means for clamping the sections together, substantially as and for the purpose described.

G. In combination with a thill provided with a cylindrical coupling-pin; of a chill-coupling comprising a drafteye having a fixed section and a movable section, the opposing faces of said sections being recessed to form a sub stantially spherical bearing, a bushing composed of separablc sections, one section comprising; a cylindrical sleeve surroundingthe coupling-pin, and the other section surrounding the sleeve and being provided with a. substantially spherical surface for engaging the surface of said bearing, and means for clamping the sections together, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this 19th day of January, 1906.

DAVID Wv COPELAND.

Witnesses S. DAVIS, CHAS. J. TONER. 

